Timer



Nov. 111, 1924. I

H. C. WILBER' TIMER Filed Jan. 31. 1923 INVENTOR M 6. W453 BY 4% ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 11, 1924.

UNITED STATES HAROLD C, WILBER, OF T'USGOLA, ILLINOIS.

TIMER.

Application filed January 31, 1923. Serial No. 616,164.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARoLD C. Winona, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Tuscola', in the county of Douglas and State ofIllinois, have invented a new and Improved Timer, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in circuit controlling apparatusand has particular reference to a timer for automobile en 'nes.

n object of the invention is to provide improved means for preventingthe accumulation of dirt and other foreign substances on the stationarycontact segments of the timer.

Another object is to clean the stationary contacts of a timing apparatusby a device which is controlled by the speed of movement of the movablecontact to intermittently engage said stationary contacts.

A further object is the provision of a contact cleaning device which maybe readily incorporated in timers of a well. known type withoutmaterially altering the construe tion thereof.

The above and other objects will appear more clearly from the followingdetail de scription, when taken in connection with the acompanyingdrawing, which illustrates a preferred form of the inventive idea.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of a timer of well knownconstruction showing the invention applied thereto; and

Figure 2 is a perspective View of the attachment embodying the featuresof the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawing, the numeral 3indicates a shell or casing of a timer of well known con-- struction andincluding the binding posts 4 having electrical connection with thecontact segments 5 arranged about the inner periphcry of the casing andsuitably insulated from each other. The timer further includes a shaft 6having a plate 7 at one end to which is pivotally connected intermediateits ends an arm 8 carrying at one end a suitable con tact device 9,which is held in engagement with the contact segments 5 by the coilspring 10 connected to said plate 7 and the opposite end of the arm 8.

In carrying out the present invention, the plate 7 is provided, at apoint substantially opposite that to which the arm 8 is pivoted,

with an extension 11 having a bifurcated outer end in which asubstantially arcuate brush carrying arm 12 is pivotally mountedintermediate its ends. One end of the arm 12 has attached thereto butinsulated thercfrom a brush 18 having a cleaning edge 14 thereof adaptedfor engagement with the various contact segments 5 to clean the same asthe shaft 6 is rotated.

The opposite end 15 of the arm 12 is enlarged or weighted and isconnected to the plate 7 by means of a coil spring 16 which tends todraw the weighted end 15 inwardly against the centrifugal force producedby the rotation of the shaft 6 so as to yieldingly maintain the brush 13in engagement with the contact segments 5. It is desirable that thebrush 13 be moved out of engagement with said contact segments when theshaft 6 is exceeding a predetermined speed of r0- tation, such as forinstance one hundred revolutions per minute. The tension of the spring-16 is accordingly regulated so that when the speed of said shaft andconsequently of the contact device 9 increases be yond a predeterminedpoint the centrifugal force occasioned by the rotation of the shaft willovercome the action of the weighted end 15 and spring 16 and move thearm 12 about its pivot to disengage the brush 13 from the contactsegments 5. IVhen the speed of rotation of the shaft again decreasesbelow the predetermined point, it will be obvious that the arm 12 willagain be moved about its pivot and the brush l3 engaged with saidcontact segments in which position any dirt or other foreign substanceswill be removed from said segments, thus maintaining the efliciencythereof in the operation of the timer.

What is claimed is:

1. In a timer, a plurality of contacting segments, a contact deviceelectrically associated therewith and movable relative thereto, andmeans movable with said contact device and engageable with said segmentsto clean the same only when the movement of said device is below apredetermined speed.

2. In a timer, a plurality of contacting segments, a contact deviceelectrically associated therewith and movable relative there to, a brushcarrying member movable with said contact device, a brush carried bysaid inember and engageable with said segments to clean the same as Saiddevice is moved,

and means for yieldingly maintaining); said brush in engagement withsaid segments until the movement of said device exceeds a predeterminedspeed.

3. In a timer, a plurality oit contacting segments, a contact devi-ireelectrically associated therewith and. movable relative thereto andmeans controlled by said contact device and engageahle with saidsegments to clean the same only when the movement of said device isbelow a predetermined speed.

4. In a timer, a plurality of contacting: segments. a contact deviceelectrically assoeiated With said segments and rotatable with respectthereto, a brushcarrying arm rotatable with said contact device having apivotal movement With respect thereto, a brush carried by said arm andengageable with said contaetin segments to clean the same as saidcontact device is rotated, and means connected to the other end of saidarm for yieldingly maintaining said brush in engagement With saidsegments until the rotation of said Contact device exceeds apredetermined speed.

HAROLD C. ILE-ER.

